The term Jogyo (助行) originally means a practice that supports a principal practice called Shōgyo (正行). In Honmon Butsuryu Shu, when we say Ojogyō (お助行), it means the practice of chanting the Odaimoku not for ourselves but for other members. HBS members often hold an Ojogyō service and chant the Odaimoku together intensively to help another member receive Genshō-no-Goriyaku (the manifest evidence of reward) smoothly by transferring all the merits accumulated through the chanting to the member. An Ojogyō is beneficial not only to the prayer who is in trouble or has some wishes urgent but also to participants of the Ojogyō. Participants receive rewards due to the merit of their good deed and again realize how wonderful the fine dharma of HBS faith is, watching the prayer receive Genshō-no-Goriyaku and be very pleased.
The reason that the Buddha and Nichiren Shonin passed down the fine dharma, Odaimoku, to us is to make all people in this world encounter the faith in the Odaimoku and live a happy and peaceful both present and future life through the practice of the faith. In short, persuading as many people as possible that HBS faith is so wonderful is as important as the chanting practice of Odaimoku for ourselves. If others realize how important the faith in the Lotus Sutra (the Odaimoku) is and they will happily spread the faith, that means fostering a lot of new Bodhisattva. This is the thing that both the Primordial Buddha and Nichiren Shonin strongly wish for. This is the reason why Ojogyō is very important not only for the prayer but also participants.
Ojogyō is basically the practice to help others, but it is also the practice for participants to accumulate a great deal of merit. Without praying to the Gohonzon for your various wishes, your prayers will be answered only to participate in an Ojogyō service because the Buddha can see through all of what you want. Actually, I, Ryosetsu Ikemoto, when I was an apprentice priest, received a big reward that hay fever and atopic dermatitis I had been suffering from for a long time were healed through an intensive “one week” Ojogyō practice. It was just two hours chanting a day to help both a young male member who was about to die by a car accident and a lady member who was going to have heart transplant surgery. It was so incredible. Ojogyō is a wonderful Buddhist practice (service) that he or she will be happy and we will be happy, too.
